Take us back to the start
by InfiniteZone
Summary: Artemis has graduated and is soon heading off to live with Wally. Only then did Dick realize he wasn't that important to her.


**Hey guys! (Are any of you even here anymore?) Well, if you are, I swear I'm working! I SWEAR! It's just school and life has gotten a hold of me and won't let go ;; But I promise I'm writing...very slowly...**

**So, if you are still with me, here is a bit of Traught for your troubles ;)**

**I didn't exactly have their relationship in mind, so you can view it as platonic or romantic as you like.**

**As always, read and review~**

* * *

"Artemis Crock." The name boomed around the large auditorium as the blonde girl crossed the stage. The crowd ggave hefty applause, but they're the loudest.

Every member of the Team came to see Artemis graduate. Dick whooped and clapped as she accepted the diploma. Wally was right beside him, cheering just as loud, if not louder. His green eyes, Dick noticed, were glowing with love and pride.

She took the rolled up paper and shook all the hands of the Board of Education. Artemis rose both arms, mouth open in a smile that showed all her teeth. She was absolutely glowing with accomplishment and satisfaction.

Dick was happy for her, he really was. He was just as excited as she was to go onto Stanford and start her life with Wally, but there was that dark voice in the back of his head that told him Artemis was never coming back. He would never see her again.

They both announced last week that they were quitting the hero business to focus on school and life. And of course, he slapped on a smile and told them he was glad. But, it felt like his heart was breaking. His two closest friends were going to move all the way across the country. He would never be able to fight crime with them again.

After all the names were called, the graduates dispersed. The waterfall of blonde hair that was bright against the dark blue gown gave Artemis' position away.

"Congratulations, Crockpot," Dick told her fondly as he embraced her, "I'm really going to miss you." And he meant it.

She smiled at him, gray eyes bright, "Thanks, Dick. I'll miss you too."

He frowned a tiny bit. She didn't mean it as much as he did. She almost sounded distracted, her eyes flickering to the sides.

"Wally!" Those eyes brighten when the redhead entered her vision. Dick watched as she practically jumped into his arms and kissed him.

"Congratulations, babe," He purred after spinning her around.

"Thank you!" She laughed as the whole Team embraced her. Then she looked around, "Hey, where's Robin?"

Wally glanced at Dick quickly, "He had something to do."

"But he promised!" Artemis pouted.

"I'm sure he's closer than you think."

And then it hit him. He wasn't that important to Artemis; at least not as Dick Grayson. He was just that annoying freshman, sophomore, junior that kept her entertained turning French class. Even if he had study dates and lunch dates and gymnastic meets with her, he was nothing more than a friend. Someone who would soon be referred to as "That boy I knew in high school."

_Robin_, on the other hand, was one of Artemis' best friends. Of course she would be upset that he didn't come. _Robin_ was the only one who could sneak up on her; the only one who knew that she hated cockroaches. _Robin_ could make her laugh while she was angry and the only one who would help her prank Wally. _Robin_ was Artemis' partner in crime (so to speak), and was the one she worked in complete sync with.

But now, Artemis was going to be California, and both Dick Grayson and Robin were going to be left in the dust.

Dick watched as the whole Team interacted with each other, laughing and telling funny stories. Even Mal and Karen came, since they, along with Megan and Conner, graduated the year before.

Dick took a step in their direction, but stopped. He then blinked back tears, shoved his hands into his pockets, and shuffled away.

* * *

_Artemis Rose Crock. 1995-2016. Lover. Fighter. Daughter._

Shaky hands pressed pink flowers into the snow covered ground. A picture of two young teenagers, a male and a female, followed soon. The bright colors of the picture and flowers were a sharp contrast to the whites and grays of the February day.

Dick sat back on his heels, tracing the letters on the grave with one finger, occasionally brushing away snow.

"You never did figure it out, did you?" He shook his head slightly. He knew Artemis was still alive, underneath the water with Kaldur, but that didn't matter. The Artemis he knew, the one who could shoot a target dead-on in almost no light, the one who still squealed when she saw a bug, was dead. In her place was Tigress, ruthless right-hand woman to Black Manta's son. When Artemis came back (he refused to think _if_), she wouldn't be the same.

"I guess we'll never laugh about this someday," He told the gray stone sadly. Rising to his feet, Dick brushed the snow off his pants and walked away from the grave, leaving it to face the cold elements alone.


End file.
